Qiagen acquires DxS

Qiagen has acquired DxS, a developer and manufacturer of companion diagnostic products headquartered in Manchester, UK for US$95m. A further US$35m will be paid if specified commercial and other milestones are met.

Molecular diagnostics company Qiagen, based in Venlo, Netherlands, says the transaction will give it a "strong leadership position" in personalised healthcare and DxS" senior management will join the company in key roles to develop this further.

Qiagen says it will establish DxS" headquarters as a centre of excellence in pharma partnering.

The company has also revealed that it currently has more than 15 collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to market or develop companion diagnostic products. The programmes span genetic, expression, epigenetic and other markers.

Qiagen adds that the acquisition gives it a portfolio of molecular diagnostic assays and intellectual property, as well as a pipeline of diagnostic partnerships in oncology with seven of the largest drugmakers in this field.

DxS has developed a set of molecular diagnostic assays that allow physicians in oncology to predict patients" responses to certain treatments in order to make cancer therapies more effective and safer. The currently marketed portfolio spans seven real-time PCR tests. Qiagen says the assays are suitable for use with its platform instruments, including QIAsymphony and Rotor-Gene Q.

DxS's TheraScreen: K-RAS Mutation Kit is expected to be submitted to the US FDA for regulatory approval next year. It is estimated that the future market for overall K-RAS testing could reach up to US$100m.

"The acquisition of DxS is strategically a highly important transaction for Qiagen and is a key element of our strategy to lead in molecular diagnostic-based prevention, profiling and personalised healthcare. These three elements are expected significantly to shape and contribute to future improvements in healthcare," said Peer Schatz, chief executive of Qiagen.